tikicoma we should have gone there. We passed it a couple of times but not the right time.

EnchantedTikiGoth Dan was in our garage today sorting record albums. Now he has a new bit on his neck. Hopefully it was a harmless insect. Another bite to watch. He had his shirt on but it wasn't covering his neck.

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Here is the rest of Day 9 on the Big Island of Hawaii. These photos are the drive back from Volcano.

We stopped here to check it out and found a free event. We wandered around rows of beautiful flowers.

Here are my favorites.

There is still a storm brewing. Tomorrow is our last day here. Fingers crossed.

The first trip to the Mauna Loa nut factory I saw this stump and regretted not photographing it. So we went back. Free nuts and a photo op.

I found a ceramics shop but it was all for High Fire clays which I don't use so I wasn't tempted to buy anything.

Still in Hilo we found an antique shop.

It looks fancy but the prices on tikis was fair enough. Dan no longer collects anything except what I'll make for him so it was just to look and drool.

A few flowers at our hotel.

I mostly wear Jams World shirts and this is one of my favorites so that's why I'm showing myself at dinner.

On Day 11 we drove to the airport in the rain. The storm came as we were leaving.

Our plane was an hour late. But that just cut our wait at the Oahu airport. We got home at the same time as scheduled.

Long ago when we were tiki hunters people requested to see our tiki haul after each trip. But now Dan finds a few records and CD's and I look for shot glasses.

In Hilo at Ben Franklin's I found these tiny "key chains" that I can write on the labels. I will use them to state what is on each of my thumb drives. I use the thumb drives as an extra back up of my photos. I also have back up hard drives. Obsessive.

When we were home I put all of my new shot glasses into COLD water to soak off the impossible to remove price stickers.

Two of them had the paint come off. Bummer. Now it will be just GooGone from now on. Display only!

I also found one Couroc tray. I use these easy to stack trays as I do my tiki projects.

I was very happy with my treasures and Dan loves his new albums.

Our trip could only have been better if Dan didn't get bit. Other than that perfection. Cheers, Wendy

Looks like a very fun trip! I wish I would have known you were heading to Hilo, my friends lived there for awhile and I visited them a few times. Most of the good restaurants are off the beaten path and you likely will not find them unless you are with a local. Looks like a super fun time anyway!!!

rum on the Rideau the boat was the very best way. We tried the hike but it was so hot out and we had forgotten water that we gave up. Then on another trip we did the helicopter but we only saw steam and also the fact that the walk wouldn't have gotten us close enough to see the lava. There are poisonous gases at play too. From the boat at sunset is what our traveling companion Polynesian Paddy said was best and he was right.

If you friend me on facebook you can watch the video of the lava flow. It was such good luck and a patient captain of the boat that made it possible.

bamalamalu Dan is well but the bite is still bright well. They doctor said it would go away in the future. It doesn't bother him any longer. Thank you.

Welcome back. I was going through Wendy and Dan withdrawals, and since Iíve only been around for the past year, I decided to get my fix by going back to the beginning and seeing how far youíve come. Iím up to page 175 and Wish List 3, and even more excited to be a part of Wish List 8.

Hamo thank you so much for one of the nicest comments. I love it when people look back through my pages. I do it myself now and then and it's always fun. I'm very happy to be missed.

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The next Wish was for a Hot Tub Hula Girl with a lei for Sean Smart. He lives in the evacuation zone for Ventura where the fires are raging. We pray his and other homes will be spared.

There are so many steps in ceramics. I cast and cleaned up the hula girls but when it's time to start on putting her in a coconut I have to prep one first.

I start with this cast.

I cut the top off at the water line for glazing the inside of the mug.

Then I make the three dents.

I put the girl inside and add her hair. Then I carve the texture on the outside of the mug.

To make the lei I make discs of clay and place them in the right spots. Then I go back and carve each one.

Two down 13 to go.

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We no longer send out Christmas cards, too much work and so little time. But I do thank each person who sends one on-line. So thank you Woo Hoo Wahine, Soccer Tiki, Chippy and Tikiman Willis. I appreciate each one that has arrived. Holiday Cheers, to everyone, Wendy and Dan

EnchantedTikiGoth you are not alone. I have made several of these mugs with shells or a swimsuit top to tone them down. The size was dictated by my husband as I was sculpting the original.

Hamo this is really fun for me. Since almost my entire tiki life is posted here day by day you'll know me so well by the time you finish.

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After doing the custom Hot Tub Hula Girl mugs I moved on to making the classic versions for those on Wish List #8.

I've shown all the steps to making these mugs in the past so I just went to work and didn't take photos of each mug in process.

We started pouring for Wish List #8 at the beginning of this summer.

I lined all the coconuts up in the kitchen when I was ready to go to work after the first week in October.

The customs were done first. They are in the front. I'm sure I will make more as those on this Wish List tell me what I am to make for them.

Then I did all the classics on the list.

Since we lost our car I now have the benefit of using this garage stall. So this photo shows the mugs covered. Every day they spend an hour uncovered and then one or two covered and then uncovered again. This will go on for a month or two. I'm not sure because it's winter and I've not dried mugs in the garage before.

So now I'll move on to other projects on the Wish List #8. Cheers, Wendy